Luca Patuelli
Arly Fogerty
Source: news.concordia.ca
Concordia was represented at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics by alumnus Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli, BComm 09, who performed during the Opening Ceremonies, and Olympic athlete and Concordia student Arly Fogarty, who competed at the games.
Arly, a student in International Business at the John Molson School of Business and a native of Montreal, competed in the Women’s Slalom, the Women’s Giant Slalom, Women’s Super-G and the Women’s Super Combined.
Luca, a 25-year-old marketing graduate, stunned the audience during the opening ceremony with his dance moves that seemed to defy gravity.
Patuelli was born with arthrogyrposis, a muscle disorder that limits motion in the joints. He started using crutches at the age of three. By eight, he developed scoliosis. He’s had 16 operations on his legs and spine.
As a toddler, Patuelli started doing pushups with his legs up just like the ones he performed at BC Place Stadium. It was never meant to be a breakdance move.
“Once I integrated it into dancing, people freaked out,” he said. He stuck with it, developed his skills and the rest is history.
Read more about Patuelli in the Concordia Journal, or watch his performance at the Games in this video: (may take a short time to load)
